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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Bailey's spring woes continue as Reds fall

Bailey's struggles lately are a cause for concern

Goodyear, Arizona -- The Redlegs (9-12-1) partook in their final split-squad scrimmage of the spring on Saturday and consequently fell to the visiting Giants (12-8) by a tally of 6-4. Homer Bailey got the start for the club and labored through another sub-par outing. Here's the full recap of the good, the bad, and the notables for the contest:The Good:
- Zack Cozart had another hit today to raise his spring average to a gaudy .447. He looks primed to assume the everyday shortstop duties for the club.
- The majority of the team's scoring came off the bat of Daniel Dorn. The left-hander popped a 3-run dinger out of the yard in the sixth.
- Billy Hamilton drew a walk, stole a base and scored a run in his only plate appearance.
- Clay Zavada and Nick Christiani combined to toss 2 2/3 innings of 1-hit,shutout baseball. They fanned three and walked only one.
- Ryan Hanigan gunned down two potential base stealers.

The Bad:
- Homer Bailey's preseason woes continue as he allowed four runs on six hits and a walk in 3.1 frames. His ERA now stands at 7.98.
- The Reds committed two miscues on the afternoon...one each from Hamilton and Brodie Greene.
- Brandon Phillips was hitless in three trips to the plate.
- Scott Rolen, Ryan Hanigan, Daryl Jones and Dioner Navarro were all 0-for-2
- Joey Votto picked up a hit, but is still batting just .161 on the spring. He was also picked off first base by Giants starter Matt Cain in the bottom of the first.

The Notables:
- In case you missed it, the Reds were dealt a major blow earlier on Saturday when it was announced that closer Ryan Madson would miss the entire 2012 season due to injury.
- The ripple effect caused by the loss of Madson makes for an interesting decision about what to do with Aroldis Chapman. Most assume he'll return to the 'pen, however he's clearly outpitched Bailey for the fifth spot in the rotation this preseason. The decision could ultimately hinge on the fact that Bailey is out of options.
- The 4,638 fans in attendance were treated to 81-degree and partly cloudy gametime conditions.
- The Reds will clash with the Rockies on the road Sunday in a game slated to begin at 4:10 ET. Johnny Cueto will get the starting nod while Logan Ondrusek and Sam LeCure are scheduled to relieve.